Elvedon
Dark-humored but light-hearted • 39 • she/her
6111 points
Post from the Nature Obscura: A City's Hidden Natural World forum
If you love pictures like I do, here are a few photos I found to accompany Brenner's descriptions of the Bloedel Reserve:
The Reflection Pool
Moss Garden
Japanese Rock Garden
0Elvedon commented on a post
This post is meant for readers who, by happenstance, stumble across this book in total ignorance of Pagebound Lore and are wondering how a niche erotic novella about a lobster has generated 100+ posts.
This forum rose to popularity in 2026, not by the powers of a readalong or quest, but by the charisma and careful wielding of gifs of one user, Sharky, who against all odds inspired a cult community discussion around this story.
The magnetic pull of Lobster in March 2026 cannot be overstated. References to Lobster were scattered throughout Pagebound in lists, comments, and club posts, creating mass FOMO and seducing users to visit this place and pick up this story despite the proliferation of... let's say, mixed reviews.
I, too, have finally succumbed to this crustacean after weeks of resistance. I've read the first few paragraphs, and all I can say is: I love you Pagebound.
35Elvedon commented on a post
Do you agree with Simone that cishet married couples should use husband/wife instead of partner? I've always been on the fence about this, since she's right - there's an element of "claiming queerness" when you're actually in a traditional relationship, which feels false - but at the same time, if everyone used partner, it would create more neutrality and prevent queer people from being outed in unsafe situations.
Does anyone have a strong opinion about this? Any thoughts are welcome!
20Elvedon started reading...
Nature Obscura: A City's Hidden Natural World
Kelly Brenner
0Elvedon wrote a review...
Listening to this novel reminded me of the time I visited the Erotic Museum in Amsterdam. I was really interested in the beginning but soon grew tired of looking at dicks. Evidently I have a dick quota, and this novel crossed that limit in the first 25%.
I stuck with it, though, and eventually was kind of charmed by the love story between my cringes. I also enjoyed the hockey games as an ambience. At a minimum, I can see why this book has become an erotic phenomenon even if its hotness was wasted on me.
It's not a literary masterpiece, but I also wasn't expecting one. The dialogue is repetitive, and some phrases and words made me gag. But it's a decent story for erotica, a fluffy sweet romance tucked between a bunch of blow jobs and butt stuff, basically.
It definitely falls under the "m/m smut written by a woman for straight women" stereotype, but since I'm somewhat open-minded about erotica, I don't necessarily count that against the book. Just go into it thinking "kink" rather than representation, and you won't be disappointed.
0Elvedon finished a book
Heated Rivalry (Game Changers #2)
Rachel Reid
0
Elvedon commented on pachinko's review of East of Eden
we are all of us delusional to some degree, caught up in the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, the world and others. how accurate can our self-perception be? are we doomed to see our loved ones through the warping lens of desire? can we learn to look past our many preconceptions and prejudices? our deepest fears, secrets and dreams are stories too, and sometimes it is only when they are finally brought to light that we discover how true they were.
East of Eden explores how stories give our lives meaning, just as they give rise to wrath, envy, injustice. it says: yes, we may be sinful and fallible and mired in darkness, but we also have great capacity for good, and one cannot come without the other. we are the authors of our lives — burdened with responsibility and absolutely free.
Steinbeck writes in grand, luminous prose, the kind of author that could give a vacuum cleaner ad the sound of ode or elegy. he takes the mundane, the routine, and imbues it with biblical power and philosophical weight. and, like the bible, this book was not exactly a page turner and could’ve been significantly shorter. that said, many of the characters (Lee, Samuel, Cathy, Tom, Cal) touched my heart and stayed there, beautifully human and flawed as they are.
12Elvedon wrote a review...
This book would probably be a delight if you were satisfied with a single storyline or two, especially if you followed the original story retold with Ryan North's pizazz. However, if you're a completionist, you might end up with half a dozen bookmarks scattered throughout the book, trying to keep track of various storylines and losing the flow of reading altogether because you don't want to miss anything.
That's what happened to me, anyway.
I loved the side commentary and snark about Shakespeare's writing, but the alternative stories were less compelling to me in general, aside from a couple favorites. If he'd focused on the original story alone, taking away the choose-your-own-adventure element and making his commentary more robust, I would've enjoyed that more. The book would've been shorter and less niche, of course, maybe harder to sell in the saturated Shakespeare market. But I believe North has enough wit to pull off a straightforward retelling without any extra adventures!
0Elvedon finished a book
Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure
Ryan North
0Elvedon commented on dineke's update
Elvedon commented on mongoose's review of It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
Rereading, 23-Jun-24
"Grief is not a sign that you are unwell and unevolved. It's a sign that love has been part of your part of your life, and that you want love to continue, even here."
"You are here now, and here sucks."
"There was love in this world before your loss, there is love surrounding you now, and love will remain beside you, through all the life that is yet to come. The forms will change, but love itself will never leave. It's not enough. And it's everything."
❤️
Rereading, 29-Jan-24
"Grief is visceral, not reasonable"
"The howling at the centre of grief is raw and real."
"It's love in its most wild form."
"Grief is not a problem to be solved. It is an experience to be carried."
"Some things cannot be fixed. They can only be carried."
[Getty images.]
Genuine. Just Brilliant. Apt. Empathetic. Beautiful. From-the-heart and to-the-heart.
This is a non-fiction book, but all the way it feels like a memoir shared from the heart. It is not like the many other books that are academic texts or research and development journals. This is a complete and comprehensive book. The author has lived through this grief and the other content is also quoted from real life experiences.
〰
The birds are flying, people are walking around, cars are on their way, trains are running, flights are taking off - How can everything go on as 'normal'!?
During this time when a person is going through this terrible pain and unbearable heartache called 'grief', this book takes care of the heart with care, and guides with love and empathy.
I am so sorry for your loss, and I truly wish you peace and strength.
4Elvedon TBR'd a book
The Everlasting
Alix E. Harrow
0Elvedon commented on Madelinereads's review of The Red Sacrament
Rating is 4.75 stars rounded up
Thank you NetGalley and Titan books for the eARC!
This is one of those rare books where I feel like my words just can’t do it justice for how much I loved it 😭
The writing was atmospheric and lush in its descriptions! Some lines literally made me pause and think: "oh this is so good I could cry.” I was rapt by the imagery and characters that no other book could hold my attention while devouring The Red Sacrament!
While the pacing had its slow moving ebbs and flows, I still enjoyed every minute of it. Getting to know these characters was such a treat, I mean vampires in Paris who put on a show every week and are like a family to one another; What could be more intriguing!
I will say the ONLY thing that kept this from being 5 stars is a very personal reading preference of mine, and that was the long chapters. Even when I was thoroughly enjoying the novel, seeing another long chapter coming up did make it difficult to read for longer/more than one or two chapters a day.
Overall a smashing debut that is perfect for lovers of vampire stories, historical & gothic horror, queer characters, and vivid world building! For now I will be ravenous as I await Hinkley’s secondary novel.
1Elvedon is interested in reading...
The Red Sacrament
Sara Hinkley
0Elvedon TBR'd a book
It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
Megan Devine
0Elvedon commented on mongoose's review of It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
Rereading, 23-Jun-24
"Grief is not a sign that you are unwell and unevolved. It's a sign that love has been part of your part of your life, and that you want love to continue, even here."
"You are here now, and here sucks."
"There was love in this world before your loss, there is love surrounding you now, and love will remain beside you, through all the life that is yet to come. The forms will change, but love itself will never leave. It's not enough. And it's everything."
❤️
Rereading, 29-Jan-24
"Grief is visceral, not reasonable"
"The howling at the centre of grief is raw and real."
"It's love in its most wild form."
"Grief is not a problem to be solved. It is an experience to be carried."
"Some things cannot be fixed. They can only be carried."
[Getty images.]
Genuine. Just Brilliant. Apt. Empathetic. Beautiful. From-the-heart and to-the-heart.
This is a non-fiction book, but all the way it feels like a memoir shared from the heart. It is not like the many other books that are academic texts or research and development journals. This is a complete and comprehensive book. The author has lived through this grief and the other content is also quoted from real life experiences.
〰
The birds are flying, people are walking around, cars are on their way, trains are running, flights are taking off - How can everything go on as 'normal'!?
During this time when a person is going through this terrible pain and unbearable heartache called 'grief', this book takes care of the heart with care, and guides with love and empathy.
I am so sorry for your loss, and I truly wish you peace and strength.
4Elvedon commented on dineke's review of The Devil Book
is it not funny
how if you
press enter many
times and ignore
punctuation you can
call any obvious
thought poetry
and sell it
as a book
how ironic when
it is about capitalism
•
‘it is night
but earlier
it was day’
this book says
and no shit asta
now i think of
hundreds others
more deserving
of that eu prize
for literature
•
it is concept art
you say
over and over
but you can’t
even tell the difference
between ‘erotic’
and ‘about sex work’
how funny also
that scandinavian star
was not even
burnt for insurance
and has less to do
with capitalism
than this book
1